ArtRage and Clip Studio Paint are essential tools for businesses and designers, offering unique features that enhance creativity and productivity. We'll compare their capabilities to determine which software excels in areas like realistic painting tools, device compatibility, and pricing options.

A Quick Overview of ArtRage and Clip Studio Paint

What is ArtRage?

clickup screenshot

Ambient Design, the company behind ArtRage, is a New Zealand-based software development company specializing in creative tools for artists. They focus on creating natural tools with intuitive interfaces that allow artists from both traditional and digital backgrounds to paint without needing to learn digital tricks to achieve realistic results.

ArtRage offers realistic painting tools that mimic traditional media like oils, watercolors, pencils, and crayons. Its standout feature is the ability to provide a highly realistic painting experience with tools that behave like their real-world counterparts, setting it apart from many other digital art software options.

What is Clip Studio Paint?

clickup screenshot

Clip Studio Paint, developed by Celsys, Inc., is a software application designed for digital drawing, painting, and animation. It caters to artists, illustrators, comic creators, and animators by providing a wide range of tools and features to create high-quality digital art.

One unique feature of Clip Studio Paint is its fully customizable 3D tools, which allow artists to draw over 3D models and customize face and body types. Additionally, the software offers an extensive material library with tens of thousands of free materials, including community-made brushes and assets.

Features of ArtRage and Clip Studio Paint

Similarities

ArtRage and Clip Studio Paint share several key features that make them both excellent choices for digital artists. Both software applications are designed to provide a realistic and intuitive painting experience, making them popular among professionals and hobbyists alike.

  • Realistic Painting Tools: Both ArtRage and Clip Studio Paint offer tools that mimic traditional media such as oils, watercolors, and pencils.
  • Texture and Blending: Advanced texture and blending options in both programs allow for natural-looking gradients and textures.
  • Cross-Platform Availability: Both applications are available on multiple platforms, including Windows, macOS, iOS, and Android.
  • Customizable Brushes: Users can customize brushes or create their own in both ArtRage and Clip Studio Paint.
  • Layer Management: Robust layer management features, including masking and clipping techniques, are available in both software.

Differences

ArtRage and Clip Studio Paint each offer unique features that cater to different artistic needs. Here are the most significant differences between the two:

  • 3D Tools: Clip Studio Paint provides fully customizable 3D tools for drawing figures and props, which ArtRage lacks.
  • Animation Features: Clip Studio Paint includes advanced animation tools like light table and onion-skin features, not available in ArtRage.
  • Comic Creation: Clip Studio Paint offers comprehensive comic creation tools, including panel frames and speech balloons, which are not found in ArtRage.
  • Vector Layers: Clip Studio Paint supports vector layers for scalable and editable line art, a feature absent in ArtRage.
  • Natural Media Simulation: ArtRage excels in realistic painting tools that mimic traditional media, such as thick oils and delicate watercolors, which are less emphasized in Clip Studio Paint.

User Interface and Usability

ArtRage's user interface is designed to mimic traditional art tools, providing a familiar environment for artists. The interface is intuitive, allowing users to easily access and use various tools like oils, watercolors, pencils, and crayons. The user experience focuses on providing a natural and realistic painting experience, catering to different skill levels from beginners to professionals. Overall, ArtRage is highly usable due to its intuitive interface and realistic toolset, accessible on multiple platforms.

Clip Studio Paint offers a highly customizable interface, allowing users to adjust screen settings, shortcuts, and tool layouts. The software provides a seamless and intuitive experience with features like 3D models and smart coloring. It supports a wide range of devices, ensuring accessibility and flexibility. The overall usability is enhanced by extensive materials and community support, making it a comprehensive tool for digital artists.

Neither company has a clear advantage in user interface and usability over the other.

Collaboration

ArtRage does not offer built-in features specifically designed for collaboration. The software focuses on individual creativity, providing realistic painting tools that mimic traditional media. While there is a community aspect where users can share their work on platforms like Facebook, this is more about showcasing individual pieces rather than facilitating collaborative projects.

Clip Studio Paint also lacks explicit collaboration tools within the software. However, it offers a range of community resources, such as CLIP STUDIO ASSETS and CLIP STUDIO TIPS, which allow users to share materials and knowledge. These resources can indirectly support teamwork by providing a platform for artists to exchange ideas and solutions.

Neither company has a clear advantage in terms of built-in collaboration features.

ArtRage and Clip Studio Paint Pricing

ArtRage offers a straightforward pricing model with one-time fees. The desktop version, ArtRage Vitae, costs $80, while the mobile version is priced at $4.99. ArtRage Lite is available for $29.90. There are no subscription options or discounts mentioned, making it a simple choice for those preferring one-time payments.

Clip Studio Paint provides more flexible pricing options, including one-time fees and subscription plans. The perpetual license for Clip Studio Paint PRO is $54, and the EX version is $237. Subscription plans start at $0.99 per month, with additional options like annual licenses and update passes. This variety caters to different budget needs.

Neither company has a clear advantage in pricing, as it depends on individual preferences for one-time payments or subscription flexibility.

Comparing ArtRage and Clip Studio Paint to Piktochart

clickup screenshot

Piktochart transforms complex ideas into captivating visuals that inform and engage your audience. With Piktochart AI, you can create stunning infographics, reports, and presentations in seconds, perfectly aligned with your brand. No design experience required.

Pros of Piktochart

  • Ease of Use: Piktochart is designed to be intuitive, allowing users to create stunning visuals without any formal training in graphic design.
  • Variety of Templates: The platform offers a wide range of templates and pre-built graphic layouts, saving users significant time in the design process.
  • Content Creation Tools: Piktochart provides effective tools for creating various types of visual content, including infographics, presentations, and social media posts.
  • Drag-and-Drop Interface: The simple drag-and-drop functionality makes it easy to edit and publish designs quickly.
  • Comprehensive Features: Piktochart supports a broad spectrum of visual communication needs with its extensive set of features.

Piktochart's Pricing

  • Free: $0 (Free forever)
  • Pro: $14 per member/month, billed annually
  • Business: $24 per member/month, billed annually
  • Enterprise: Custom Pricing
  • Campus: Custom Pricing (Minimum 3000 seats)

What Are Others Saying?

ArtRage Reviews

Overall, users have given ArtRage a rating of 4.4 out of 5. While many appreciate its realistic textures and user-friendly interface, some find the lack of significant updates and certain tool functionalities frustrating.

"The paper dimensions being in pixels instead of cm is frustrating." - Mike M., 3.5/5

"Some brushes give a strange pixelation." - Verified User in Arts and Crafts, 3.5/5

"Complicated for the everyday user, with zero mini tutorials to point out what is where." - Anonymous, 3/5

Find more of ArtRage reviews on G2!

Clip Studio Paint Reviews

Overall, users have given Clip Studio Paint a rating of 4.5 out of 5. While many appreciate its features, some find the lifetime license misleading and experience lag issues with the new version.

"The lifetime license is not truly lifetime, and version 2 has lag issues." - Tofiq H., 4.5/5

"The lifetime license is not honored, requiring a subscription for version 2." - Rogelio A., 1/5

"The program is complex and the screen is cluttered with many features." - Kevin O., 3/5

Find more of Clip Studio Paint reviews on G2!

Piktochart Reviews

Our users have given Piktochart an overall rating of 4.4 out of 5. They appreciate the platform's ease of use, variety of templates, and powerful content creation tools.

  • "Easy to create content even if you're not a designer." - Jessica D.
  • "My Go-To for ALL Professional Presentations!" - Jennifer K.
  • "Piktochart is a Web-based Magic Graphic Design Tool everyone." - POOJA N.

Find more of our reviews on G2!

Why choose one over the other?

Why a consumer might want to use ArtRage over Clip Studio Paint:

  • ArtRage is ideal for traditional artists who want a natural painting experience with realistic tools that mimic oils, watercolors, and pencils. It's also perfect for beginners and hobbyists looking for an intuitive and affordable digital art solution.

Why a consumer might want to use Clip Studio Paint over ArtRage:

  • Clip Studio Paint is suited for professional illustrators, comic creators, and animators who need advanced tools like 3D models, vector layers, and comprehensive comic creation features. It's also great for those who require extensive material libraries and community support.

Why a consumer might want to use Piktochart over Clip Studio Paint and ArtRage:

  • Piktochart is perfect for marketers, educators, and business professionals who need to create engaging visual content quickly and easily without advanced design skills. Its user-friendly interface and wide range of templates make it an excellent choice for creating infographics, presentations, and videos.

ArtRage, Clip Studio Paint, or Piktochart: Which is the best platform for you?

Whether you're a traditional artist, a professional illustrator, or a business professional, there's a tool out there to meet your needs. While ArtRage and Clip Studio Paint offer fantastic features for digital art creation, we believe Piktochart stands out for its ease of use and versatility in creating stunning visual content. Give Piktochart a try and see how it can transform your ideas into captivating visuals effortlessly.